


Wait For Me

by Czeriah



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Yuri Plisetsky, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Ballet Dancer Yuri Plisetsky, DJ Otabek Altin, Like, M/M, Mixologist Otabek Altin, Pining, Waiter Yuri Plisetsky, it's almost a blink and you'll miss it kind of one, lots of fluff, really nothing major, very mild work place harassement by a customer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 01:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11151510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Czeriah/pseuds/Czeriah
Summary: Yuri was livid. This place was pure madness.First, they made him wear weird shirt so tight he could barely breath and then, there were the shorts. Who in hell made waiters work in shorts? It’s unpractical and unprofessional as fuck.Second, why did they put him with the most annoying person in the whole place? OK, he was head waiter, so that made sense, but in a restaurant as big as the Eros & Agape there couldn’t be only one of them?Everything was Mila’s fault. It was she who offered him to give his resumé to the manager. She kept telling everybody at school how she was having such a wonderful time working there and how her co-workers were so nice. And Yuri really needed some money to buy a new pair of skates. He had waited table before so it couldn’t be that complicated, could it?So, he asked her and she had been so happy that he wanted to work with her. And now he was doing his first day as new waiter and it was hell.And it was all because of an asshole named JJ.**Or, once again, the Restaurant AU no one asked for but i had to write.





	Wait For Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [otayuri_oh_nice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/otayuri_oh_nice/gifts).



> Hi ! First fic in the Fandom. 
> 
> First, English is not my first language and i wish to apologies for any typos or mitakes that might be in there. I had the lovely monstersinthecosmos for reading it through. 
> 
> Second, I wrote this little thing for the amazing Otayuri_oh_nice who was having a bad day when i started to write this for her. Thanks so much for Your kindness love <3 you brightened my days with your writing !! 
> 
> Third well...enjoy ? and let me know what you thought of it =) I'm not sure which tag to use, if you want me to tag more, let me know ?

Yuri was livid. This place was pure madness.

First, they made him wear weird shirt so tight he could barely breath and then, there were the shorts. Who in hell made waiters work in shorts? It’s unpractical and unprofessional as fuck.  
Second, why did they put him with the most annoying person in the whole place? OK, he was head waiter, so that made sense, but in a restaurant as big as the _Eros & Agape _there couldn’t be only one of them? 

Everything was Mila’s fault. It was she who offered him to give his resumé to the manager. She kept telling everybody at school how she was having such a wonderful time working there and how her co-workers were so nice. And Yuri really needed some money to buy a new pair of skates. He had waited table before so it couldn’t be that complicated, could it?

So, he asked her and she had been so _happy_ that he wanted to work with her. And now he was doing his first day as new waiter and it was hell. 

And it was all because of an asshole named JJ.

**

The day has started well. Despite his usual demeanour, Yuri was someone pretty punctual and hardworking. He had arrived fifteen minutes before the beginning of his shift, presented himself to the Maître D’, and waited for the manager to come around. The manager, Viktor as he soon discovered, gave him his new uniform and explained to him quickly the concept of the restaurant, Yuri having already heard everything by Mila a thousand times already. He knew that this place had a concept that everyone and their mother called ‘original’. The day shift had a theme around the Agape, intellectual love or some sappy shit like that, and Eros, physical love for the evening. People tended to come for one or the other, depending on the occasion.

Anyway, Victor explained to him that the evening shift had a dress code a little bit more on the sexy side than the daytime uniform and gave him the tiniest pieces of fabric one could decently wear in a public place.

“Oh, by the way, I didn’t even ask you your name?”  
“Yuri. Yuri Plisetsky.”  
“Ah! What a coincidence! Our maître D’s name is also Yuuri! We’re going to have to find you a nickname…”  
“What? No…”  
“Yurio! That’s what we’ll call you!”

Before Yuri could voice any complaint about being given a new name out of the blue, a new guy opened the staff room’s door with very little consideration for anybody who could have been changing inside.

“...And I told her, _It’s JJ Style!_ with my trademark smile, you know the one.... oh! Someone new!”

Yuri turned around to send his darkest look to the newcomer when he realised it wasn't one, but two persons.  
The first one, the one speaking, was soon introduced by Viktor has the Head Waiter he would be shadowing for the evening.

Jean Jacques Leroy was his name. Who in the world had a name like that to begin with? _An asshole, obviously._

The guy didn’t even take the time to introduce himself to Yuri; he dropped his bag in a locker, watched him up and down and smirked before leaving the room with a “meet me upstairs, kitten”. _What the fuck, how does he dare?_ Viktor just laughed and shook his head at the whole thing before turning to look at Yuri.

“Sorry for JJ, but I would be lying if I’d say he wasn't always like that. You’ll get used to it.” He waved in the direction of the other guy who had come in. “This is Otabek Altin, he is out bar manager so if you need anything from the bar, he is your guy.”

Yuri tried to swallow his anger. _Don’t kill anybody on you first day Plisetsky, it wouldn't be very good, would it. Just think of the skate. And the tiger hoodie you saw at H &M yesterday. That’s it, breathe and smile._ When he reopened his eyes, he realised that Viktor had left the room, probably to let him change.

The other guy, Otabek, was changing out some motorbike jacket and pants. The shoes were already neatly stacked inside a locker and the helmet was laying on the table nearby. Yuri couldn't stop watching as the man took out the garment to reveal a really tight tank top under, if you could call the black fishnet tank top _clothes_. Yuri watched him take off his pants to reveal powerful thighs and put on leather pants so tight it shouldn’t have been possible.

What the hell even was this place.

“You all right?”

Yuri was so startled by the sudden voice that he almost dropped everything on the floor. He mumbled a quick “Yes. I’m Fine.” and moved to what looked like an empty locker to start to change. He looked, bewildered, to the clothes Viktor had given him.

A pair of black leather shorts, combined with some fishnet tights and a dark red shirt. Was he really supposed to wear that or was it just a mean joke?

“It’s not a joke if that’s what you are wondering.” The deep voice from before startled him again. The man, _Otabek,_ was at the door, looking at him with dark eyes. “And you need to tie the shirt at the front,” he added before leaving.

Yuri took a deep breath and mumbled to himself while putting on the shirt:

“…Fuck my life. Where the hell did I ended up again. I’m going to kill Mila.”

It took him five more minutes to put his hair up in a ponytail and to arrive upstairs. His eyes swiped left and right, taking in the atmosphere of the restaurant. The other waiters were pretty much all wearing the same clothes as him, the higher-ranking employees were styled the same way Otabek had been downstairs.

At least it wasn’t a bad joke on his part, but what kind of restaurant had that kind of uniforms? _Mila could have told me about the outfits..._

“Ah, Kitten, here you are. I thought you got lost downstairs, and I was about to come save you… _JJ STYLE!”_

Yuri was not amused. What he was, however, was a professional bullshitter. He put on his best smile.

“Thanks, but no thanks. Can you show me what I’ll need to do?”

Jean Jacques, I _refuse to name him by something as ridicule as JJ,_ smile faltered just a little bit and after a second brought him to the sections of the restaurant they will be working that night.

“It’s pretty easy kitten, we have twelve tables under our jurisdiction. You wait on them perfectly, they tip you, you turn the tables. Easy peasy nice and squeezy…”

_No, seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this guy…he calls me kitten one more time I swear to god…_

“The drinks are to be taken from the bar, the food from the kitchen. Tonight, you’ll be mostly running drinks to get you used to the menu, the restaurant displays and customers. I’ve sent a couple of cocktails so you can go by the bar and see if they’re ready. I might let you wait a table later but I can’t have my customers have less than a JJ STYLE perfect service so, probably not.”

Yuri looked at him for a while, trying to convey how much he hated being ordered around like that without explanation, before turning around and walking toward the bar…. before stopping at the sight he had in front of him.

_Oh my god kill me now, I swear this man is not human._

Otabek was standing behind the counter, arms raised to shake a cocktail.  Yuri felt his mouth go dry at the sight of his biceps… _hot damn._  

“He’s hot isn’t it.”  
“For Fucks Sakes Baba, don’t fucking scare me like that. And I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  
“Hum. I’ll act like I believe you. How’s the first day going?”  
“Tremendous. Why the hell didn’t you tell me this place was a brothel? Have you seen the uniforms?”  
“Don’t you think you are dramatizing much? I mean, I honestly thought they would put you day time with your angel face, you’d look well in the Agape uniform. Even if you are hot like that too…anyway, who did they put you with? Léo? Seung-il?”  
“Ugh, Jean Jane or something, the asshole with a shitty undercut and an even worse attitude.”  
“JJ? yeah, I see what you mean. He is not the best with the new staff. Not a bad guy but he doesn’t have much patience.”  
“Patience? The word you are looking for is team spirit.”

Mila was cut by a ring quickly followed by a sharp and deep “Service, please.” Coming from the bar in front of them. The redhead smiled at Yuri and blew him a kiss before sending him get the drink.  
The blond quickly approached the counter and stared at the two colourful drinks in front of him.

“Hem…sorry? Can you tell me what the drinks are?”

After a couple of second waiting for his answer, Yuri started to get annoyed at the whole evening.

“Oye, I asked you a question mister barman?” he snapped. 

Otabek turned around from the fridge he was looking in and, eyebrows furrowed, took in the situation.

“Sorry, I forgot you were new. This is a Porn Star Martini, it’s vodka with passion fruit and vanilla. This one a Mai Tai, he is a bit more complicated but it’s mostly Rum, curacao and orgeat. They are both on our classic cocktail list. You have the table number here on the ticket.”

 “Thanks.”

And then followed an awkward pause. Yuri couldn’t help but stare at the perfect Adonis in front of him. _Damn, what’s happening to me, I’m smoother than that usually._ There was definitely something about this man that was transforming him into a weird version of himself to whom constructed sentences and sassiness was a foreign concept. 

He clenched his fists and groaned before reaching for the delicate glasses in front of him to put them on a tray. He was pretty skilled for that kind of thing and knew for a fact he had never dropped a single glass before. He started to make his way back to the station before stopping abruptly, eyeing the ticket with the number “sixteen” on it. _I have no clue which one is the sixteen…._ The restaurant was slowly starting to fill up with customers and he couldn’t just wing it now, could he? Jean Jacque was nowhere to be found, _of fucking course,_ and Mila was on the other side of the room so he couldn’t ask her.

“Let me guess, JJ didn’t explain the table numbers?” 

Yuri felt a shudder running through his spine at the sound of the deep voice so close behind him. He hadn't heard the guy move!

“The sixteen is the one in the corner, there, next to the window.” Otabek had come closer again, and now Yuri could feel his presence next to him. He could feel his cheeks getting redder by the second and decided to retreat quickly before he could make an even bigger fool of himself.

“Thanks.”

It took him only a jiffy to set down the drink on the table and name them to the customers. Less than a second after that, Jean Jacque mysteriously reappeared next to him.

“What took you so long kitten, got lost again? Or are you slacking off already?”

_OK_ _, that’s it._ “What the fuck you asshole, you didn’t explain the tables numbers to me, I had to figure it out. If you want me to be efficient, do your fucking job and explain to me how to do mine correctly. I’ll be over there, waiting for _your_ orders, if you need me.”

He then dashed of quickly to the bar, not even waiting for Jean Jacque to stop gaping at him like a fish out of the water. _Breathe Yuri, you don’t give a shit, remember? ...I can’t believe this guy…  
_ He was still fuming with anger when he arrived next to the counter, a not so surprised bartender looking at him.

“What?” barked the blond.  
“Nothing, but what did JJ do this time?”  
“This time? _This time?_ Because he is always like that?” The silence that followed that statement was more than enough of an answer. “You’ve got to be kidding me, and how in hell is he still working here? Oh, and I swear to all that’s holy if he calls me kitten one more time I _will_ punch him.”

The brunet chuckled, all the while working on his orders. “He is not that bad once you get used to him.”  
Yuri sent a dark look to the bartender, obviously not convinced. He spent the rest of the evening going back and forth with drinks, Otabek taking the time each time to tell him exactly where to go, and tried to ignore the loud head waiter as much as possible.

As the end of his shift came around, Viktor appeared to speak with him.

“Yurio! How was your first evening? Did you enjoy yourself?”  
“It was OK I guess, but I don’t like this Jean Jacques guy. He explained close to nothing and he kept giving me some annoying nickname. Would it be too much to ask to be with Mila next time? I know her better.”  
“Hum, Mila isn’t as experienced, but I will see what I can do. And I will talk to JJ about his attitude, it happened a couple of times already, thank you for letting me know.”

Yuri whispered a thank you and made his way to the staff room to put his welcomed sweats and hoodie back on before going home. _God, I’m knackered._ Mila was waiting outside for him, next to her car. As he was climbing in, a sleek motorcycle rushed next to him, a very handsome barman on top of it.

***  
  


A month later, he had finally found some routine. It hadn’t been easy at first, getting used to working five evenings per week as well as all day on Saturday. Viktor had insisted that he work at least once a week for the Agape shift, claiming that it would be sad not to use his lovely angelic face once in a while.

He was getting quite good at the job, getting to know the rest of the staff. He had some good laughs with Mila, with whom he lived anyway. She had introduced him to Léo and Guang Hong, two other waiters with whom they were having after work drinks once a week. He had understood quickly that the romance between Yuuri and Viktor was the main gossip of the place, and how JJ was the most annoyed staff member of the place but somehow irreplaceable.  
He got to know the Chef, Chris, who had taken a liking to him and gave him snacks anytime he wanted. Phichit, the Sommelier, was a nice guy, best friend to Yuuri, who he tried to get drunk literally every night by making him try _“a new champagne I just received, we have to try a bottle before putting it on the menu!”_

But the one person he really liked spending time with was the dark and broody Otabek. Well, Dark and Broody was the nickname Mila had gotten him. 

“In the first six months I’ve worked here, he barely talked to me. It took almost a year for him to start to chill around me. Even now, he comes out when we invite him but he is not the most talkative person here. But I’ll admit he _is_ smoking hot.”

Yuri was kind of surprised by that, admittedly Otabek wasn’t the most talkative person he knew but they were often having good laugh together, mostly at JJ’s expense. They were getting to know each other and he loved every second of it. Admittedly, the crush he was slowly developing for the older man, the longer he got to know him, wasn’t completely foreign to his newfound happiness. He would deny it to his death, though.

That night, he was halfway into putting his shoes back when a very sweaty Otabek entered the room without a word and started to put on his motorbike jacket. Yuri, used to a very silent after-shift Otabek could appreciate the silent, often non-existent with everybody else. The day had been kinda awful, having received news that his grandfather was hospitalized for his back, nothing to worry about but worrying all the same, and the customers having been their awful selves as always. All he wanted was to go back home, the quicker, the better, and take a long and relaxing bath. He grabbed his phone and dialled Mila, who wasn’t working today.

“Hey Baba, can you give me a lift… What do you mean you can’t today? But we live on the other side of the city! Do you know the price of the taxis! I don’t care that you have a date, you could have told me this morning! …Dammit Baba!”

He watched the screen of his phone goes to black after the call ended. That’s what you call a shitty end to a shitty day. How was he going to get back home now? He dropped himself in the closest chair and rested his face in his hand after drawing a very long breath. How could Mila do this, she knew he had no other choice than the taxi at this hour! By foot it would take him more than an hour to go home and he definitely couldn’t afford a taxi...

“I can give you a lift if you want?”

Yuri took a sharp breath and blushed. He had completely forgotten that Otabek was still here and was a little bit ashamed of having been found in this situation. He turned around and looked at the brunet.

“I have a spare helmet in my locker, it's really no big deal.”  
“Hum, ok? If that’s not a problem for you?” He paused, thinking quickly. “Maybe we could go and have a drink at the same time? My treat, as a thank you.”  
“You don’t have to…”  
“I insist, I live far away from here, it's the last a can do to repay you?”

Otabek seemed to consider him for a while before nodding and give him a motorbike helmet.

“Where do you want to go?’  
“I trust you, you are the cocktail master here.”

The two of them walked toward the bike in a relative silence. Otabek took the time to quickly explain how to climb and move on the bike during the ride and they were gone.

Yuri felt very awkward with his arms around a guy he barely knew outside of work, even more since his crush of his made him catalogue each and every sensation he had, pressed like this against the man but Otabek had this aura about him that made him feel safe.

When they stopped Yuri looked at the name of the bar, _Between Two Worlds_ , didn’t look like much from the outside, the sign was small and crooked above a simple black wooden door. Yuri couldn’t see any windows that could have told him more about the place. He looked, curious, to the other man, waiting for a little context.

“One of my friend works here, it's one of the best underground places in the city.”

They went in, Otabek holding the door to let him go first. Yuri could hear some low-key beat through the door. Once inside, the blond took his time to take in the feel of the place. The lights were down, soft blues, pinks and white gave an airy atmosphere. The music was some lo-fi chill beats that, despite being way too soft for his taste, worked well in this place.

He felt Otabek grab his hand and take him to the bar where he waved to a blonde guy behind the bar. 

“Hey Emil. How is it going?”  
“Otabek! You’re not playing tonight?”   
“No, I just brought a friend to have a drink.”

_Not playing? A friend?_ Yuri was watching the exchanged with round eyes. He stayed silent behind Otabek, not really sure how to introduce himself. The two barmen exchanged more news while he sat himself down on a barstool and looked curiously at the cocktail menu.

After a while he felt someone looking over his shoulder, he turned his head to find his face very close from very sharp jawline.

The blush that took over his face had to be his biggest one ever. He jerked away sharply, trying to ignore the extremely handsome and really close man.

“Hum...eh, anything you would recommend on the list?” Why the fuck did his voice sound so shaky all of a sudden? _Get a grip Plisetsky, god damnit._ “I was wondering about the one I served on my first day, do you remember? The porn something? He sounded interesting?” _way to go Yuri, talking about porn on a first…. a first what? Date? Oh my god is this a date? Did I ask him on a date?_

Emil does a pretty good Porn Star, if you never had any cocktail it is a good start. I’m going to have a White Russian myself.” 

A white _Russian_! Was it what spontaneous combustion felt like? Was Otabek _flirting_ with him? He faintly heard Otabek ordering both drinks while he was busy having an existential crisis, and soon after Emil came back with two glasses.

“I didn't realise how much I needed alcohol until now. Damn.” _I have the worst case of foot in mouth today. Way to look cool on your first...afterwork drink Yuri, not a date._

He decided to stay silent for a while, maybe like that he could stop to make a fool of himself. He heard a soft laugh from next to him and dared to glance at the other man. Otabek was looking at him with a small smile playing on his lips. Yuri watched him taking a small sip of his drink before putting it back on the counter.

“You’re not what I expected.” he said finally.   
“Huh?” Yuri looked at Otabek, surprised. “What do you mean?”  
“I guess you don’t remember, but we met before you started working there.”

Yuri couldn’t believe his ears. How did he managed to meet this man before and... not notice him? Apparently sensing his confusion, Otabek continued.

“It was maybe a year ago, Mila invited me and some other people from the restaurant to the dance Gala you did at your school? I actually asked her about you, she told me you were doing ballet at your art school and a bit of Ice Skating semi-professionally.” He paused.

“Damn Baba talked about my life behind my back.” Yuri was fuming.  
“Did she lie?”  
“No…”  
“So, what’s the problem?”  
“Why didn’t you come and ask me yourself?” It was Otabek’s time to blush, even though with his complexion it was definitely less obvious than Yuri and his white skin.  
“You were dancing, and I was actually DJing in this place that night, I couldn’t stay after your performance...so I asked Mila. You...you left me speechless, you had such an intensity in your eyes, like a soldier, I couldn’t stop watching you, you move so effortlessly...Sorry, I’m rambling…”

Yuri didn't know what to do with himself anymore. He mumbled a thank you, face as red as a tomato. Nobody had ever told him anything like that. After a while, he decided that it was quite enough, since when was he shy like that! _Honestly, get a fucking grip. He is just a handsome guy. A co-worker!_

“And so...I heard something about playing earlier when you were talking with Emil? You play music?” _Well done Yuri._  
“Hum, yes, I DJ here a couple of night a week. Usually on my days off the Eros & Agape. It’s more of a hobby than anything else.”  
“That’s so cool! Do you play your own music?”  
“Sometimes, yes….my phone is dead right now, but I could let you listen to a couple of them another day?”

Yuri nodded with enthusiasm and took a large sip of his drink. The two of the kept the conversation steady for most of an hour before Yuri’s phone started to ring like crazy.

“Yes Baba, where I am? Well, since you were _busy_ I went out with Otabek...Yes I know it’s almost past one Baba. Yes I know I’ve got class in the morning. I’m not a child. Yes. I’ll be home soon.”

He hung up, annoyed by the protectiveness his roommate was displaying out of the blue and took the last sip of his cocktail. Otabek was already putting his jacket back and both went back outside without a word.

Yuri was a little more confident on the bike this time around, leaning when he had to, and the journey home went smoothly, without him clinging desperately to Otabek’s torso.

The older man finally pulled out next to the building where Yuri was living with Mila and took off his helmet to say goodbye.

“Thanks Otabek, that was a very nice evening…”  
“Yes...when is your next shift at work?”  
“...In two days. why ?”

Otabek slowly climbed down the motorbike and approached Yuri who was standing in front of the door of his building. _Wait, what is he doing, is he...is he going to kiss me ?? Breath Yuri. Hyperventilation is not a solution._

“I’m not working tomorrow either.” Yuri swallowed nervously at Otabek statement. “Do you, I mean...Would you accept to go on a date with me tomorrow? After you class of course, I mean, I can pick you up, or we can meet somewhere… 

Yuri eyes were certainly as big as UFO’s. _So he WAS flirting with me, oh my god, he is rambling, it’s too cute. And I’m just not saying anything right now, I have to answer. When did I become like this? Is it what adulthood is like? Why me ? Why now ? I used to be smooth._

“Yes. Tomorrow. Yes. No problem. Whatever you want.” _Yes. Used to. That’s the keyword._

The silence that followed was deafening. Both men were looking at each other before Otabek just started chuckling, rubbing his eyes with his hand. He took a big breath.

“Give me your phone, mine is dead. I’ll put my number in it, just text me whenever tomorrow and I’ll come pick you up. Cinema is OK for you ?”

Yuri did as ask, nodding his head approvingly all the while. The two of them lingered a bit before Yuri started shivering in the late September air. Otabek then sent him inside with a light peck on his check and a renewed promise to see him tomorrow.

Despite the cold, Yuri stayed to watch Otabek leaving, the bike disappearing behind a street corner.

“Oh. My. God.”

He checked his phone contact list and _Yes, there it is, Otabek’s number._ He took a minute to send a quick text to the newly added contact ( **Hi, here is my number, thanks for the lift, see you tomorrow! Yuri.)** and slowly started to make his way up the stairs. He arrived in front of his door in a daze, so much in fact that it took him three tries to find his keys. He had just dropped his bag on the sofa when a shrill voice suddenly sounds behind him.

“YURI NIKOLAÏEV PLISETSKY.”  
“GOD DAMNIT BABA, DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?”  
“YES. NO. I want to know everything!”

Yuri let out a sharp breath, knowing that if he didn’t retell everything he would never go to bed. He couldn’t wait for the next day!  
  


**  
  


The morning found Yuri in a dazed state. Had he dreamt what happened yesterday? Was he really going to a date with the very hot barman in his new job? What even was his life?

He could feel Mila’s eyes watching him fidgeting restlessly in the apartment, starting the dishes, then stopping, then starting again. Opening the fridge just to look inside for so long it started to do this weird noise indicating it had stayed open too long. He could feel her smirk at his nervous antics but he couldn’t help it!

He had woken up to a simple text saying a simple **“Hi, It’s Otabek. Is 3pm ok to pick you up tomorrow?”**. With caps and punctuation. _Is he even real, Hell, am I real? This world is a lie. I’m not sure if I can deal with that much perfection._

“Will you stop panicking? what’s got your knickers in a twist?”

Yuri stopped as if thunders had catched him. Mila’s voice behind him had the effect of a slap.

“Yuri? You alright?” She watched him taking a deep breath and turning to face her.  
“I need help. Otabek...he is coming at 3 to pick me up and go to the cinema. Mila, what do I wear? What do I do?”  
“First of all, breathe. Stop panicking out of thin air! Did you have ideas already?”

Yuri grabbed her hand to take her to his room and started digging in his closet.

“Are these pants too tight? Maybe I should wear slacks. But what if he takes me out in a trendy place after? What if I dress up casual and we end up in a nice restaurant. What if we go dancing after and…”  
“Yuri! Shut up, Christ. It’s a first date, not a job interview. No need to brainstorm. I mean, he saw you change in your uniform for the last five weeks anyway so it’s not like he hasn’t seen stuff already.”

Mila grabbed a hair band she had around her wrist and quickly put her hair up. Standing next to the bundle of nerves that was her roommate, she quickly scanned what he had.

“Ok, have you showered yet?” He shook his head negatively. “Then go shower, I’ll take care of the outfit.”

He looked at her for a second before literally disappearing into the bathroom. She waited for the shower to start and selected a nice black tank top, she then found a nice leopard crop top who would go nicely on top and matched it with skinny black jeans. Some boot with studs, a leather jacket and voila. Perfect outfit.

She was dropping the clothes on the bed when she heard Yuri coming back.

“Put that on and call me when you are done, I’m doing your hair and makeup.”  
“Makeup?”  
“Yes, Yuri. Makeup.”

 

**

 

_It’s 2.59. What is he doing? What if he had an accident? What if he is not coming after all? ...OK, I really have to stop panicking over nothing now, it’s getting kind of ridiculous._

Yuri was checking Instagram for what had to be the thousandth time in the last five minutes. He was casually, _ahem,_ waiting for Otabek outside, having received a text telling him he would be here soon. 

The sound of a motorcycle made him look up and his stomach literally made a salto in his belly. _I’m not gonna survive this date, am I?_

He watched, mesmerized, Otabek stop in front of him and take off his helmet. The smile adorning his face would have cured cancer.

“Yuri, you look handsome. The film is in half an hour, we should get going?”  

He then climbed down to grab another helmet hidden under the seat of the bike and gave him to the blond.

“Yuri?”

They were standing next to each other, eyes at the same height, a small smile playing on Otabek’s lips, and Yuri just closed the distance.

_Am I kissing him? Oh my god, I am, am I? Why would you do that Yuri…. that should happened at the END of a date, not the beginning, what if you’ve spoiled everything…. Well, he is not stopping me though…_

Yuri wasn’t sure if the kiss lasted a second or a minute, but when they separated he couldn’t have stopped the smile from spreading on his face.

“Hi. You look handsome too.”

_He is blushing. So cute._

Otabek leaned in for another peck before turning away and climb back on the bike, inviting Yuri to do the same.

“Come on Yuri, Get on. We’re going to be late.”

 

**

  
The movie Otabek had chosen was the last _Guardians of the Galaxy_. Yuri was pretty happy with the choice, that is, until the end.

When they came out of the cinema, his eyes were still stinging from tears shed over fictional character.

“How could they do that! He is such a great character, and poor Peter!”  
 “...did you not like the movie?” Otabek’s worried voices made him turn around and face his...His what? _friend? Date? …. boyfriend? Damn Yuri, not the moment for vocabulary crisis.  
_ “I loved it! but damn, the end was right in my feels…”

Otabek closed the distance between him and the blond and swiped gently his hand against the tears streaked cheeks. “I’m glad you liked it.” He dropped a soft kiss on the blond’s nose and then reached to grab his hand. “Do you want to eat something, I know a nice place not far the does really nice ice cream?”

“I could use some sugar, yes.”

At the ice cream parlour, while Otabek was ordering the ice creams, Yuri looked at his phone to check any messages.

**Mila (16.28) :** _hey crumpet, how is it going ?  
_ **Mila (16.34) :** _I guess you are still in the cinema.  
_ **Mila (17.08) : _Are you coming home tonight ?  
_** **Mila (17.23) :** _Yuriiiii, answer meeeee !_

_Damn Baba. No chill whatsoever._ He quickly answered a ‘IDK’ and put his phone back in his pocket as the dark-haired man was coming back.

The two then started talking, _Finally I’m doing something else than stutter! Small victories…_ sharing stories about their studies. Otabek was majoring in music as well as working and DJing. _How does he manage to do all that!_ Yuri was part of a school dance, determined to be a professional dancer, and was only working part time at the restaurant. He was halfway through his explanation on how competing in ice skating was helping him pay for his school and was a really nice hobby when his phone started ringing

“Uhg, sorry about that, I have to take it, it’s Mila.”

As Otabek nodded his understanding, Yuri tapped on the green phone.   
  
“Baba! I’m busy!”  
“It’s almost 7pm, Yuri. I was worried, you never answered me!”  
 “Seven? When did that happened.” Yuri sent a look to the brunet who was smiling. He covered the microphone and asked. “Hum, do you...do you have anything else planned? I mean, it’s getting late?”  
“I can drop you back home Yuri.” _I don’t want this evening to stop yet...maybe….  
_ “Do you want to come home watch another movie, I have Netflix?” He asked before he could change his mind.

Otabek looked at him with surprise before answering with a smile. “If you want.”

Mila, who was still on the phone, was yelling at Yuri to answer her already when the blond just answered a “I’ll be home in 20.” before hanging up.

 

**  
  


When they arrived at Yuri’s flat, the place was silent. Which was not a good sign in Yuri’s book. Where the hell was Mila?

“Just, make yourself at home? I’m going to check where Mila is.”

He looked in her room, the bathroom, no sign of her. He was about to call her when he saw his bedroom door ajar. He always closed his door….  
He went in to find nothing out of the ordinary…. until his eyes reached the bad to see a note next to a pharmacy bag. he grabbed the paper, suddenly very worried.

**“Crumpet, don’t have sex on the sofa, it’s hell to clean, trust me on that. Just in case you weren’t prepared, I got you some lube and condoms. No worries, it’s on me. I won’t be home tonight since I’m working. Love, Your big sister.”**

_I’m going to kill her. I swear._ He was as red as a tomato, for sure. How could she… _and what did she meant by ‘trust me on that’ oh my god, did she...ugh!_ He grabbed the bag and took out...yep, the biggest bottle of lube he had ever seen and a packet of condoms...he felt his cheeks burning, he couldn’t go back in the living room looking like that, Otabek would know something has happened, and what an awkward situation would it be, almost as bad as if he was to come in right now…

 “Yuri? What took you so long?”

_It is NOT happening._ “Nothing. Mila won’t be here tonight. See any DVD’s you wanna watch?”

If he turned around right now, Otabek would see the package in his hand and what would he thought? He was not the type of sleeping with someone on the first date. He was not. 

“Hum, I wanted to talk, maybe, first?” The deep voice was much closer now, when had he come so close! _damn carpet!_    
“T... talk?”   
“Yes, about, about where this was going? I really like you...could you turn around? I want to see you face to talk about that….”  
“Okay, but I want you to know that it’s not what it looks like."  
“What do you mean…”

Yuri turned around, his hand full of condoms and his face looking more and more like a beetroot.

“It’s Mila’s fault! She loves to embarrass me!”

There was a silence, and then a deep and loud laugh rang in the silence of the apartment.

“Don’t laugh! I don’t want you to think I just sleep around on the first date! Because I’m not! It’s just that Mila…”

A hand on his face stopped his rambling and his green eyes met the dark brown orbs in front of him. He could see small tears of laughter at the corner and a very pretty smile on Otabek’s lips when his stare flickered to them.

“I would never dare assuming anything about you Yuri. Come on, drop that, we need to talk.”

_Talk? About what, is he fed up with me already…?_ A soft kiss on his lips stopped his train of thought. He dropped everything on the bed as asked and let himself be led to the sofa in the living room. 

“Yuri. I really want to date you. I do since I first saw you dancing. We can go at your pace, but I really want to call you my boyfriend. That is, if you want that too?”

_It is really happening. And me who thought Prince Charming didn’t exist. Someone pinch me._

“YES! I mean. Yes. To everything. I mean, I don’t know you much but I really like you, and I would love to be your boyfriend. And whatever pace, I mean, we can take things as they go...damn, I’m rambling again, can I kiss you? I don’t ramble when I kiss you…”

Otabek nodded and the two of them met in a soft kiss. Otabek’s hand went behind Yuri’s head, fingers tangling in the soft locks, nails lightly scratching his scalp. At first, Yuri wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, _ugh, Yuri, go big or go home, be a man!_ He slowly went to encircle the brunet’s neck, ending up on having to pushed himself much closer to the other, so much closer that Otabek decided to grab him to put him on his lap.

Needless to say, the whole thing ended up in a very nice make out session and no film was put on for the next couple of hours.

 

**

 

A week later found Yuri doing another shift at Eros & Agape. He had seen Otabek a few times since that fateful day and all the way sailing on calm waters. They were sending each other texts, calling when they couldn’t see each other and altogether having a great time.

He was aware that the beginning of a relationship was always pink and flowers but Otabek had been nothing but nice so far. They had spent a whole evening on Skype, talking about music. Yuri was looking for a new score to dance to, and Otabek was working on a new mix he ended up sharing with his boyfriend.

Viktor had finally decided to let Yuri run a section by himself that night. It was a bit small for seasoned waiter, for that Yuri was grateful, and had the added bonus to be the closest one to the bar which meant he could look at Otabek working.

The evening started well and Yuri’s section was hosting a group of ten men, apparently hockey players, celebrating the end of the season. The bill was looking good, they were obviously not looking at the prices. They already had more than their share of cocktails, three bottles of wine, and they were now well into tasting all the beers the restaurant had in stock.

Needless to say, they were all pretty drunk.

Yuri had, more than once, had to deal with more or less drunk customers. The restaurant had some very clear rules to prevent any harassment against the waiting staff.

  
“Just because your uniform is unconventional doesn’t mean we authorize people to harass you. We are a restaurant, not a gentlemen’s club, and our customers are supposed to understand that. If you experience any problem, and I mean any, you have to come straight to me, Yuuri or Otabek. We will deal with the guest accordingly to the situation or the offense,” Viktor had said, looking Yuri dead in the eyes with the most serious expression the younger had ever seen. “It is left to your discretion what you accept or not, but we do not encourage anything more than the basic quality service you are supposed to give.”

As the group became more and more inebriated, Yuri had to deal with a few words out of place, but so far, a few strict words and dark look had been enough to keep everybody in line.

“Oye, pretty thing, come here!” _That was too good to be true. One of them had to be an asshole._

“What can I do for you, Sir?”

The man giggled. “You heard that Ethan, he called me sir.” Yuri didn’t even had time to ask the question again than the man had grabbed his arm and pulled him onto his knees, grabbing a handful of his ass at the same time. “I like sir, but I’d prefer you to call me daddy. You are so pretty, doll, I’m sure you’d like what I could…”

Yuri was shocked, what the fuck was this guy doing! He started a movement to get out of his gripped but the man had some strength despite being drunk.

“Come on doll, give daddy a kiss, I know you want it.” Yuri could feel the hand on his ass slowly going down his thigh. two seconds more and the guy’s grip would be loose enough for him to knee him in the junk... “Your skin is so smooth baby doll…”

The man didn’t even finish his sentence than a shadow fell on him and grabbed him by the neck.

“The rules are clear and you know them, sir,” a menacing voice growled. “I am going to have to ask you to leave this place, your attitude isn’t permitted in this establishment.”

Yuri was promptly released and grabbed by Mila and Yuuri who had seen everything and were now watching a very angry Otabek escorting the man outside with a concerned Viktor.

The blond, still a bit in shock with what just happened, was watching his boyfriend manhandle another man.

_Fuck, that was hot. Even if I could have taken care that myself._ Seriously, why was everyone treating him a little flower? All arousal that the sighting could have given him was slowly crushed by anger. He pushed himself out of Mila’s embrace, who he could hear asking if he was alright.

“I’m fine. Leave me alone, Baba.” He turned to Yuuri and spat a “I’m taking a break.”

He took off his apron on the way to the staff room, grabbed his phone and took the service entrance to get some air. He hated that feeling. He could take care of himself, thanks a lot. What was Otabek thinking? Was he seeing him like a poor damsel he could save? Was it why he was with him? Because he was smaller and delicate looking?

It had been a while since anyone had given him shit about how he looked. When he had been younger it had annoyed him a lot, the way other people saw him. His blond hair and delicate figure, almost feminine had been a pain while growing up. He could remember the nicknames guys at school were coming up with. Never nice, never.

For a long time, he had a bad attitude, trying to compensate this feeling, this appearance, and once he had started dance school, he had thought that was behind him. People at school respected him, he was a damn good dancer, and anyway, pretty much everybody had this ethereal look so he was nothing out of the ordinary. Worse even, he was considered masculine in his class, puberty having given him a strong jawline and a larger frame than most of his classmates. The long hair had still some people calling him Miss before they saw his face but it had happened less and less in the last years.

And worse, the way Otabek had run to the rescue. Does he not trust Yuri to take care of himself? Does he use that to feel more in power? Is it going to be like that? The blond didn’t have good experience with guys who had thought his look meant they could treat him too roughly or, on the contrary, like he was a girl.

He was still playing with his phone, fuming in silence, when the back door opened behind him and light from inside illuminated the alley. Otabek appeared, seeming sheepish. _Yes, he can…_

“Yuri? Mila said you seemed angry…. are you alright?”  
“What was that alpha male bullshit you played out there? I could have handled that!”  
“Is it why you’re so upset?”  
“Yes, it is! Do you think I’m not man enough to take care of an asshole myself? Is that why you’re with me?”

Otabek look stunned and Yuri was seeing red.

“I know I’ve got long hair and I’m a dancer, but I’ll have you know I know a good deal of krav maga, I can defend myself, I don’t need a knight in shining armour to come and rescue me, so if that’s what you're into, you can go look somewhere else!”

The alley was silent, the only sound Yuri could hear was his own ragged breathing. He didn’t even wait for Otabek to answer and just dashed through the door. In the hallway, he heard Yuuri and Viktor’s voice and walked to them, still furious.

“I’m going home, the group was done anyway and they were my only table.”

He didn’t even wait to hear their answer and left the building promptly after having grabbed his stuff, without even taking the time to change, grabbing the first taxi he could find.

He was home fifteen minutes later and promptly fell into his bed. And here he thought Otabek would be different.

He felt a lone tear fall from his face. _I should have known better._

 

** 

In retrospect, he should have known that Mila wouldn’t let him wallow in self-pity for more than a day.

He had called in sick, at school _and_ at work, refusing to see Beka or anybody else, preferring to stay in bed to reflect on his life choices.

The night had been a bearer of advice and, even if some anger was still here, he realised now that he might have overreacted a bit. The shock that the whole situation had given him had just triggered some heavy reaction in him and he wasn’t very proud to have lashed out at Otabek.

Now, the problem was that he was also a bit too proud to go and apologize.

Yuri could admit, at least to himself, that as much as big a mouth he could have, taking his responsibilities wasn't his forte and he was half prepared to stay there and never come out again if that meant he could avoid making a fool of himself _again_ in front of the other man.

If he was honest, he was surprised that Mila hadn’t just barged in his room the night before. She had obviously thought it was better to let him steep in his despair for a better effect later. She had tried to knock on his door to ask him if he wanted to have lunch with her but hadn’t insisted when she received no answer.

So, she had waited until the evening.

It was probably not too far from eight at night when she went in without even knocking this time, and violently took the blanket he was burrito’d in.

“Stop being ridiculous, crumpet. It’s getting old. Did you eat anything? Of course, you didn’t...”

She had grabbed him and dragged him in the living room before sitting him down at the table with a bowl of salad and some chicken.

“Eat, and then we _will_ talk.”

Yuri was looking down at his bowl. She had actually cooked for him. He had been horrible to her, _to everyone,_ yesterday, and she still cooked for him. He could feel his eyes starting to burn a little, the way they often do before tears start to fall. _And here they are, tears, I can’t see a fucking thing now. Why am I crying...It’s dust. Yeah._

Two arms went around him, and he was surrounded by the sweet perfume he had given her for her birthday.

“Oh, Yuri.”

He didn’t know what to say to her. Was Otabek angry with him? Did he understand? Yuri hadn’t even dared look at his phone all day long. 

“He is not mad you know, nobody is. This guy was a jerk and his attitude was awful with you. Everybody would have reacted like you did.” She was talking in a soft voice, as if she was afraid he would start yelling again.  
“How can he not be mad! I said awful things to him. I said he was with me only because I was smaller and looked like a girl…”  
“But he isn’t and you know it.”  
“Of course, I know but I still said it…” Mila was watching him with small smile.  
“Listen crumpet. I’m sure Otabek know you didn’t mean it, but if you feel that bad about it, you should probably just apologize.”  
“I can’t do that.”  
“Yes you can.”  
“...But how?”  
“Leave it to me, I got an idea."

 

**

 

**[Beka : 00.15] : Yuri? Are you still mad at me?**  
**[Beka : 00.30] : I guess you are. I’m sorry. Please, answer me.**  
**[Beka : 00.40] : Did you arrive home safe at least ?**  
**[Beka : 00.45] : I hope you are all right...I’ll text you again tomorrow.  
** **[Beka : 00:50] : I really am sorry. Sleep well Yura.**

**…**

**[Beka : 10.02] : You still haven’t answered me. Please, tell me if we’re ok.**

**...**

**[Beka : 10.10] : _Missed call  
_** **[Beka : 10.12] : _Missed call_**

**_..._ **

**[Beka : 10.20] : Your phone is ringing, I guess you really don’t want to talk to me then. I didn’t want to say that by text. I’m sorry Yura. I don’t think any of the things that you said. I like you because you are a strong person, you have the eyes of a soldier. I invited Mila to come see me play tonight. I hope I will see you there.**

**....**

**[Beka : 10.40] : I really like you Yuri. Please Come.**

 

**

 

_This woman is a monster._ She had all but thrown him under the shower while she was choosing some clothes for him to wear. He had taken his sweet time, trying to calm his nerves with boiling water.  
Ten minutes later, Yuri was seriously considering bailing at the last minute. Mila was doing his hair when he had finally decided to check his phone, after having ignored him all day, and had finally read all of Otabek’s texts.

How could he face the guy, this perfect piece of human being, without being ashamed? He had apologized! Three times! Even if it was all Yuri’s fault! _I can’t deal with that. How do people deal with these situations? This is why I’m not a people person. Cats are so much better! Less drama, more fluffiness!_  

He had been just about to say to Mila to forget everything but she had been reading over his shoulder. She struck his head with the comb she was using to braid his hair.

“Don’t even try. You are coming with me to see him.”  
“But Baba!”  
“Shush. You are coming and it’s final. We are going to fix this even if it is the last thing I do. You two are way too cute to end like this.”

That shut his mouth. He didn’t want to end things with Otabek. He looked down at the tank top Mila had forced on him. “You really sure about this, though?”

“Trust me.”

_It’s not like I have a choice…._

And that’s how Yuri was now sitting down, brooding, in Mila’s car.

An hour later they were on their way to the club where Otabek was apparently playing that night and Yuri was once again second guessing everything. _What if it’s too late. What if he has replaced me already? I mean, he is a DJ here, maybe he has groupies. Maybe he just decided to take one of them tonight to forget me? What am I going to do?_

“Stop making scenarios in your head Yuri.” _How come she always knows?_ “You are making that pinched face again. You always do that when your brain goes into ‘worst case scenario’ mode.”

“Humpf. If you say so Baba.”

Mila walked straight to the entrance, completely ignoring the line to start taking to the vigil. The guys seemed to check a list of some sort and, after a second, waved them inside.

“Otabek put us on the VIP list.”

They went in and dropped their jackets in the VIP section before joining the crowd. Yuri was feeling very self-conscious about the shirt Mila had insisted he wear, but the music was good and soon he could feel himself starting to smile. 

His eyes looked around and finally fell on the DJ booth where he could see Otabek as he was concentrating on merging two songs. His clothes were somewhat simpler that what he had to wear during his shift in Eros & Agape. A simple black top with a design who was reflecting the black light of the club. Yuri couldn’t really see what it was, but it was probably his DJ logo, a stylized bear.

_Well, at least I still have some time to figure out how I am going to fix this mess while he is busy. With luck, he won’t see me and I’ll have an excuse to leave…._

One thing was clear, Otabek was a fucking good DJ. He was working the songs with ease, creating new arrangement, dropping bass when needed or giving the crowd time to breathe. Yuri was hooked, he was moving, feeling like he was one with the noise surrounding him.

He was so far gone into his special headspace he could reach only while dancing, that it took him longer than he was comfortable admitting to realise it wasn’t Beka behind the booth. He had lost Mila somewhere in the crowd and he was about to go have a drink at the bar, and maybe try to sneak out before she could force him to speak with Otabek, when a pair of strong arms went to encircled his waist.  
He turned around as quick as the position allowed it, insult at the ready for the guy who thought he could just grab him…. _Oh crap._

Otabek was pressing him against his torso, he could hear him speaking in his ear.

“Yura. You came.”

The blond couldn’t articulate a word, he let himself be squeezed by the other man for a few second before putting his own arms around the taller man’s neck and giving as much as he got. After what seemed like hours, the two finally untangled themselves from each other and Yuri let Otabek take his hand and bring him back to the VIP section. The place was not as crowded and you could actually have actual conversations without yelling at each other.

“That’s an original choice of clothing…” Yuri blushed. The shirt Mila had made him wear was a special one she has had made especially for his birthday. It was a simple Black tank top on which was written in big black letters “I’m sorry for being an asshole - The Grumpy Cat”.

“Mila thought it would convey the intended message.”

“You don’t have to be, though. Sorry, I mean. I was out of line…”

“No Beka. I was. I freaked out and dropped all my issues on you, I…” _‘m sorry._ he wanted to say it but the words stayed blocked in his throat. He was about to try again when Otabek just grabbed him to gently place a kiss on his lips.

“Stop worrying about it Yuri. You will talk when you are ready, as long as we are fine for now. Just promise me you will talk to me. We haven’t known each other for long, we need to learn how to communicate, it’s going to take time but you are worth it.”

Yuri smiled and hugged the brunette, hiding his face in his neck while nodding. _It’s worth it._

“Now. How do you feel about dancing with your boyfriend?” Yuri looked at Otabek and kissed him before answering.

“I would love that.”


End file.
